Method for wrapping molded pipe insulation

ABSTRACT

Selected lengths of a first and second sheet material are advanced from their respective sources to a location and in such sequence where one of the materials is above a portion of the other. The upper material has an adhesive side opposed to the lower material. The selected lengths are severed simultaneously, which severing step also at least initially adheres the material together. Glue strips are placed on selected portions of the composite and registry is then made with a length of molded pipe insulation. The insulation is wrapped with the composite covering, the portion having the second strip being part of a flap for subsequent use in securing the insulation around the pipe.

United States Patent Beck [15] I 3,658,614 51 A r. 25, 1972 [54] METHOD F OR WRAPPING MOLDED PIPE INSULATION Carl A. Beck, Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. [73] Assignee: PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

[22] Filed: Dec. 22, 1969 [211 Appl.No.: 887,197

[72] Inventor:

[52] U.S.Cl. ..l56/l87,l56/l 9l, 156/192, 156/193, 156/159, 156/266, 156/392 [51] Inl.Cl. ....B65h 81/02 [58] Field olSearch ..l56/184,185,187,188,191, 156/192, 193,264, 265, 266, 250, 251, 159, 269,

[S6] Relerences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,390,038 6/1968 Hadley ..l56/159 3,471,350 10/1969 OBerry et a1 156/184 2,681,702 6/1954 Kuenn et al... ....156/266 X 2,758,630 8/1956 Hodge 1 56/266 X 2,949,953 8/1960 Maio et a1. ..156/l84 X 3,478,784 11/1969 Woe1fereta1... ...156/184X 2,797,731 7/1957 Carlson ..l56/l87 Primary Examiner-Carl D. Quarforth Assistant Examiner-Gary G. Solyst Attorney-Chisholm and Spencer- 1 1 ABSTRACT Selected lengths of a first and second sheet material are advanced from their respective sources to a location and in such sequence where one of the materials is above a portion of the other. The upper material has an adhesive side opposed to the lower material. The selected lengths are severed simultaneously, which severing step also at least initially adheres the material together. Glue strips are placed on selected portions of the composite and registry is then made with a length of molded pipe insulation. The insulation is wrapped with the composite covering, the portion having the second strip being part of a flap for subsequent use in securing the insulation around the pipe.

3 Clalms, 5 Drawing Figures Patented April 25, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 EYS Patented April 25, 1972 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CARL A. BEc

BY V ATTQRNEY Patented April 25, 1972 3 Sheets-Shoot 3 m +n mjom mow Q95: mZma 0 3% 26m Q8 -66; min a 3 5538 -65: mama a I-NVENTOR CARL A 361.14

- ATTORNEYS o 8 :8 5 Q8 -68: mama O 3 3 WIIQM Q01 QOPOZ wZmD a 33 2 Q2 mgozfiom 0 v 95mm mOm mzma u K 83a m8 5 2 F m2 $23M M2 Q82 mama BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Fiber' glass pipe insulation is generally produced by wrapping a length of fiber glass mat having an uncured binder therein around a metal mandrel, enclosing the: wrapped mandrel in a. mold and heating the assembly to cure: thebinder. The insulation, upon removal from'the mold and mandrel, will retain its molded configuration. After being released from the mandrel, the molded product is end trimmed and is cut radially completely through. one portion ofits wall and partially through the diametrically opposite portion of the. wall, such to form a hinge, permitting the molded insulation to be wrapped arounda pipe.

In addition, a cloth or paper wrapping or covering is applied and adhered to the outside of the molded insulation. The length of the wrapping or covering is greater than the circumference of the molded insulation, so as to provide a wraparound flap by which, with the proper adhesive, the insulation may beinstalled around the pipe.

Traditionally, the wrapping or covering has'been applied and adhered to the molded insulation by hand..The worker applies adhesive to selected portions of a pre-cut wrapper, registers the radial cut on the molded insulation with one edge of the wrapper; and rolls the wrapper around the insulation. Generally, the. adhesive is applied in spaced paths beginningat one edge of the wrapper and terminating short of the opposite edge thereof, it being remembered that a portion of the wrapper becomes a flap and should be free of the adhesive. With gluepaths approximately-4 inches apart, seven paths are required for a 30 inch length of insulation.

When this insulation is installed, the installerapplies-adhesive to theinside of the flap and seals the insulation in place.

In order. to save time for finalinstallation of the pipe insulation, it has been suggested that a.pressure-sensistive. adhesive strip be applied to the flap ofthe wrapper. Generally, suchta pressure-sensitive adhesive strip is protected by a removable paper covering. When applying the insulation around a pipe, it becomesonly necessary to remove the protective covering, i.e., stripthe'protective paper from the adhesive to expose the adhesivestrip which permitsthe flap to be quickly adheredlto the remainder ofthe wrapper.

A serious problem arises in applying the pressure-sensitive adhesive to the wrapper, it being difficult'and.very'time-consuming to apply a'length of the-material'by handto an edge of the wrapper:

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION- According to the invention, a length of pipe insulation is positioned with its radial cut in a determined position, a selected length of a wrapping material is advanced from a source thereof anda second, shorter length ofa pressure-sensitive tape is advanced to a position above the wrapping material with its adhesive portion oppositethe surface of the. wrapping material. The selected lengths of-wrapping material and pressure-sensitive tape are simultaneously severed and the;

tape is adhered to the wrapping material at the trailing edge of the severed portionthereof.

Because there is at least a hairline adherence of'the tape and wrapping material portions next to be advanced and'severed.

because of thecutting step; which adherence is not desirable,

separation of these. materials is thenaccomplished, generally.

The severed wrapping material. is then conveyedbeneath'a.

plurality of spaced. glue nozzles-through which molten glue isdischarged thereonto. The nozzles are controlled to permit discharge ofglue for a certainlength oftime, so as to apply the glue in strips extending from theleadingaedge of the. severed wrapping material to positions. short of the trailing edge thereof. Thus, the portion of the wrapper whichwill become the flap: is free of applied glue, only having: thereon the adhered strip of pressure-sensitive. tape protected-bya release strip;

Thexwrapping, with the glue applied :thereto is then conveyed into: registry-with the length of insulation, i.e., the leadinggedge registers-with the radial cut,.andthe assembly is rotated; while mild. pressure is applied thereto to adhere the wrapper tothe insulation. The. finished insulation is then ready for use or for packing for shipping for use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. IA is'aschematic illustration of the left-hand portion of an apparatus constructed according to this invention;

FIG. lBisa schematic illustration of the right-hand portion of the apparatus according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed side view of thecutting and separating portion of the apparatus of 'F IGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of'a control arrangement for'theapparatus of FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2', and,

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of a' length of wrapped pipe insulation madewith the apparatus and according to the method ofthisinvention;

DESCRIPTIONOFTHE' PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there is illustrated a schematic side view of the apparatus of the. invention which is constructed and operated to automatically wrap. molded fiber glass pipe insulation, one length ofwhich is illustrated as being in proper-position'for wrapping-and which is'identified by the reference character. 10; The'objective of the invention is to apply a covering; or wrapper to the length of insulation 10, whichwrapperhasaflap portion for installing the finished product-on a pipe. .Thefinished product is illustrated-in F IG. 4 andincludes the molded insulation 10; the covering 12 glued to the insulation-l0 andhavinga'flapportion 12A- with an adhesivestrip14 such tliat upon removalof the protective cover 16 on'thestriprl4",.the:flap may-be adhered totlie remainder of the coveringl-Z andcomplete itsinstallation around a pipe. The covering i'sa length of cloth or paper'material; it may be fiberglasscloth-orrapaper with or withouta metal foil outer surface.

To accompli's'hthe. objective of this invention there is provided'a sourceofwrappingmaterial 18in the form of a roll 19 ofwrappingmaterial-supported for easy-removal by a mandrel 20:passing'through:the core offth'e roll 'l9and being supported by-a supportmeanS-ZZ the detailsof which can be easily understood by reference tothe drawing and thus will not be further described.

Because thefeedofwrapping material is an intermittent or cyclic operation, thematerial is removed fromthe source by driven mating pre-feed rolls 24 and 26'over idler rolls 28 and through a-hold-downrollor-bar 30, so 'as to remove the curl of the wrappingmaterial. The rolls 24, 26; .28 and curl remover roll 30 aresuitablysupportedby-a casting.32 and the rolls 24 and 26-may be driven in-proper' sequence by any suitable, con ventional arrangement-(-notshown).

A- pair of mating, driven'main feed rolls-34 and 36-deliver thewrappingtmaterial=18-to and over a platen38-for cutting to finite'lengtmaswill bedeseribed; The feedrolls 34 and 36 and thetplaten-SS: are supported-by acasting.40;.asillustrated: The rolls'34'andi36are suitably driven'in'proper sequence by any suitable, conventional arrangement (not shown). As will become apparent, that length of material 18' fed' to extend beyond theplaten 38 is severed from thesupply.

ln order toprevent-unduetension on the wrapping material and to insure. accurate lengths of sheets cut therefrom, a loop of wrapping; material ismaintained between the-pre-feed rolls 24 and 26'and :the main feed rolls 34-=and 36. Upper and'lower limitsof the'looparecontrolled-by a pair of electric eyes 42' andl44:interconnectedwiththe drive for'the presfeed r0115 24' and 26.

tected on one surface by a removable sheet material which is arelease strip in the final product.

The two lengths of material which extend past the platen 38 are simultaneously severed by a cutting apparatus 61 which includes (see FIG. 2) a transverse blade 62 which cooperates with the edge 64 of the platen 38 to make its cut. The edge 64 of the platen thus forms an anvil for the cutting mechanism.

The cutting blade 62 is removably and adjustably connected to a revolving frame 66 pivoted about an axle 68. Suitable driving means not shown are employed to rotate the cutting blade, so that the sheet materials are severed. The cutting frame is counterweighted by counterweight 70, so that at the end of a cutting stroke, the frame stops its rotation in a position at which it is re-set for the next cut.

The severed material, i.e., the length of material 18 and the length of adhesive-backed material 52 are at least partially adhered and fall onto moving conveyor belts 74. At the same time, a breaker bar 76 operated by solenoids and in proper sequence is moved to disengage the pressure-sensitive material from the supply and separate it from the material 18, it being understood that the cutting step causes an undesirable hairline adhesion between the source materials at their next leading edges.

The assembled materials which have been severed are advanced along the conveyor belts to a position short of the location of a plurality of spaced glue nozzles 78 where the severed material is squared, i.e., its leading edge is adjusted to be perpendicular to the path of travel. Any conventional squaring arrangement can be used. After squaring, the wrapping material is advanced beneath the glue nozzles 78 which are operated at the proper time to apply strips of glue to the severed wrapping material 18 beginning at the leading edge of the material and terminating short of the trailing edge thereof. The trailing edge, it is to be remembered, includes the pressure-sensitive adhesive protected by removable release strip and forms the flap portion of the finished product.

The glue for the glue nozzles is supplied by pipes 80 from a heated glue unit 82 which is supplied with hot melt adhesive from a reel supply 84. Any suitable supply could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The material with the glue strips is conveyed so that its leading edge registers with the radial cut of the molded pipe insulation 10, the insulation having been inserted in the machine with the radial cut facing downwardly. The insulation is supported bya pair of rotatable rolls 86 and 88 and is retained by a pivoted idler roller 90 which contacts the top of the insulation.

After a short delay to permit partial adherence of the wrapper to the insulation, the rolls 86 and 88 are driven to rotate the insulation and wrap the wrapper therearound it. The driven roller 90 insures adherence. After several rotations, the finished product is removed from the machine, the driven roller 90 being lifted from its insulation contacting position.

A suitable operating and control arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 3. Here the central control comprises a sequence timer and operation begins with the drive motor for the rolls 24, 26 and continues, in sequence, counterclockwise to the completion of the operation. Each operation is completed to a controlled amount before the next operation can be initiated.

I claim:

1. A method of wrapping pipe insulation which comprises,

advancing a selected length of a first sheet material from a source thereof advancing a selected length of a second sheet material from a source thereof and to a location above said selected length of said first sheet material, said second sheet material having an adhesive on the surface thereof opposite the first sheet material therebelow,

simultaneously severing said selected lengths of said sheet materials and adhering said severed length of said second material in overlapping relation the trailing edge of to the severed length of said first material,

conveying said adhered materials to' a location removed from the location where severing occurred and wrapping said sheet material about a length of pipe insulation while adhering said first sheet material to the pipe insulation.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the step of separating the leading edge of the second material source and the leading edge of the first material source after severing said selected lengths therefrom.

, 3. A method of wrapping molded pipe insulation having a radial cut permitting installation thereof around a pipe which comprises,

positioning a length of pipe insulation with the radial cut thereof in a selected location,

advancing a selected length of a first sheet material from a source thereof in a direction toward the pipe insulation,

advancing a shorter length of a second sheet material from a source thereof in the same direction and to a location above said selected length of said first sheet material, said second sheet material having an adhesive on the surface 

1. A method of wrapping pipe insulation which comprises, advancing a selected length of a first sheet material from a source thereof advancing a selected length of a second sheet material from a source thereof and to a location above said selected length of said first sheet material, said second sheet material having an adhesive on the surface thereof opposite the first sheet material therebelow, simultaneously severing said selected lengths of said sheet materials and adhering said severed length of said second material in overlapping relation the trailing edge of to the severed length of said first material, conveying said adhered materials to a location removed from the location where severing occurred and wrapping said sheet material about a length of pipe insulation while adhering said first sheet material to the pipe insulation.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the step of separating the leading edge of the second material source and the leading edge of the first material source after severing said selected lengths therefrom.
 3. A method of wrapping molded pipe insulation having a radial cut permitting installation thereof around a pipe which comprises, positioning a length of pipe insulation with the radial cut thereof in a selected location, advancing a selected length of a first sheet material from a source thereof in a direction toward the pipe insulation, advancing a shorter length of a second sheet material from a source thereof in the same direction and to a location above said selected length of said first sheet material, said second sheet material having an adhesive on the surface thereof opposite the first sheet material therebelow, simultaneously severing said selected lengths of said sheet materials and adhering said severed length of said second sheet material in overlapping relation to the trailing edge of the severed length of said first material, conveying said adhered materials in a direction toward said pipe insulation, applying glue to selected portions of said first sheet material, feeding said sheet materials into registry with the pipe insulation, and wrapping said sheet materials thereabout while gluing said first sheet material to the pipe insulation. 